HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: weaksigs on December 08, 2009, 2058 UTC
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Just a quickie report-
MO last early evening (Monday 12-7-09) 45 minutes before sundown was quite copyable.
This beacon seems to do rather well over here and its signal built up at sundown to
almost constant reception. Looks like stable 4 Mhz signals as others have commented
CO at this time about 2000 to 2035 CO also was almost solid copy. No messages today but would've been good copy if they were. Now listening on a 75-80M inverted V at 35 feet. I could've sworn that CO jumped frequency??? :o or was it my receiver? My hand wasn't near the TS870 when I heard this but I coulda sworn transmit frequency jumped. Or was it a drift and then I simply paid attention at that time?
No biggie but I was ready to check myself in at the closest rubber room! ;D Waahhh :-[
73 Peace
weaksigs
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I've heard CO shift a few times, myself. Sometimes it's a somewhat slow creep, accompanied by a change in the keying quality and strength of copy; I've assumed that these were due to the sun coming out or going away, and delivering more or less juice to the panel. Sometimes it's been a more dramatic jump, which may or may not also come with a change in keying character and signal strength. Sometimes it goes away entirely, or that may just be propagation. On one or two occasions, I have heard some variation, only to find that it was sending a different string once it returned to normal again. ;)
(http://www.rthtg.net/beacons/co_battery_27-oct-2009_22-20.jpg) (http://www.rthtg.net/beacons/co_27-oct-2009_18-18.jpg) (http://www.rthtg.net/beacons/co_sun_came_out.jpg)
I tend to catch more weirdness with CO than with the other beacons I hear semi-regularly. This is probably because I listen for it so much more than the rest; CO frequently has messages, so I tend to park the radio there often, in hopes of catching the next one. While it's sitting on the frequency, I'll note shifts in frequency, chirp, and clarity, as well as general changes in signal strength and propagation effects.
I also use it as a gauge for when I may be able to hear other beacons in the area. Since it's usually the strongest one I can receive in the region, a strong CO means I'll have a good chance of hearing others as I run down my list.
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CO temp was below 22dgs below zero...the thermometer
had no numbers where the red line was...
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Very interesting Seamus! That seems to be a reliable
propagation indicator for you. So, I wasn't going crazy after all!
;D
Thanks for the nice graphics. It makes it even more enjoyable
seeing the waterfall.
73 and Peace
weaksigs